• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.21-26
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• 2011

Hydrodynamic focusing technique to generate focused flow has been used for flow cytometry in microfluidic devices. However, devices with circular capillary tubes made of glass are not suitable for flow visualization or optical signal detection because the rays of light are distorted at the curved interface. We devised a new acrylic chamber assembled with a pulled micropipette and a rectangular microchannel made of glass. This new channel geometry enabled us to visualize the three-dimensional (3D) flow characteristics with confocal imaging technique. We analyzed the 3D hydrodynamic focusing in a circular capillary tube and a rectangular microchannel over a practical range of flow rates, viscosities and pressure drops.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.61-66
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• 2010

In our previous work, 3-dimensional hydrodynamic focusing microfluidic device (3D-HFMD) has been developed with the help of locally increased aspect ratio of thickness to width without any horizontal separation wall. In this study, we have investigated 3-dimensional hydrodynamic focusing behaviors inside the 3D-HFMD according to the various geometric and flow conditions. The parametric study has been extensively carried out for the effects of geometric and flow conditions on 3-dimensional hydrodynamic focusing with both 3D-HFMD and previous microfluidic device design based on three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The CFD simulations suggested the proper design window of channel geometry and flow conditions.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2008.11b
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• pp.2688-2691
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• 2008

This study addresses a microfluidic method to uniformly form diacetylene (DA) liposomes and control their size. DA liposomes are biochemical sensor materials with a unique property such that when they are polymerized to polydiacetylene (PDA) they exhibit non-fluorescent blue to fluorescent red phase transition upon chemical or thermal stress. The liposome size and distribution are important because they significantly affect the phase transition. So far, DA Liposomes, have been prepared by mixing of bulk phases leading to heterogeneous, polydisperse distribution in size. Therefore, additional post-processes are required such as sonication or membrane extrusion to obtain an appropriate size of liposomes. Here, we report a novel strategy using a microfluidic chip and hydrodynamic focusing to form DA liposomes and control their size. Preliminary results obtained by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) show that the microfluidic strategy generates more monodispersed liposomes than a bulk method.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2008.11b
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• pp.2692-2695
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• 2008

Polydiacetylene (PDA) is chemosensor materials that exhibit non-fluorescent-to-fluorescent transition as well as blue-to-red visible color change upon chemical or thermal stress. They have been studied in forms of film or microarray chip, so far. In this paper, we provide a novel technique to fabricate continuous micro-fiber PDA sensor using in-situ laser-polymerization technique and 3-D hydrodynamic focusing on a microfluidic chip. The flow of a monomer solution with diacetylene (DA) monomer is focused by a sheath flow on a 3-D microfluidic chip. The focused flow is exposed to 365 nm UV laser beam for in-situ polymerization which generates a continuous fiber containing DA monomers. Then, the fiber is exposed to 254 nm UV light to polymerize DA monomers to PDA. Preliminary results indicate that the fiber size can be controlled by the flow rates of the monomer solution and sheath flows and that a PDA sensor fiber successively responds to chemical and thermal stress.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.31 no.3 s.258
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• pp.209-216
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• 2007

Bacterial chemotaxis is essential to the study of structure and function of bacteria. Although many studies have accumulated the knowledge about chemotaxis in the past, the motion of a single bacterium has not been studied much yet. In this study, we have developed a device microfabricated by soft lithography and consisting of microfluidic channels. The microfluidic assay generates a concentration gradient of chemoattractant linearly in the main channel by only diffusion of the chemicals. Bacteria are injected into the main channel in a single row by hydrodynamic focusing technique. We measured the velocity of bacteria in response to a given concentration gradient of chemoattractant using the microfludic assay, optical systems with CCD camera and simple PTV (Particle Tracking Velocimetry) algorithm. The advantage of this assay and experiment is to measure the velocity of a single bacterium and to quantify the degree of chemotaxis by statistically analyzing the velocity at the same time. Specifically, we measured and analyzed the motility of Escherichia coli strain RP437 in response to various concentration gradients of L-aspartate statistically and quantitatively by using this microfluidic assay. We obtained the probability density of the velocity while RP437 cells are swimming and tumbling in the presence of the linear concentration gradient of L-aspartate, and quantified the degree of chemotaxis by analyzing the probability density.

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.239-247
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• 2001

The Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorter (FACS) is a well-established instrument used for identifying, enumerating, classifying and sorting cells by their physical and optical characteristics. For a miniaturized FACS device, a disposable plastic microchip has been developed which has a hydrodynamic focusing chamber using soft lithography. As the characteristics of the spatially confined sample stream have an effect on sample throughput, detection efficiency, and the accuracy of cell sorting, systematic fluid dynamic studies are required. Flow visualization is conducted with a laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM), and three-dimensional flow structure of the focused sample stream is reconstructed from 2D slices acquired at $1\mutextrm{m}$ intervals in depth. It was observed that the flow structure in the focusing chamber is skewed by unsymmetrical velocity profile arising from trapezoidal cross section of the microchannel. For a quantitative analysis of a microscopic flow structure, Confocal Micro-PIV system has been developed to evaluate the accelerated flow field in the focusing chamber. This study proposes a method which defines the depth of the measurement volume using a detection pinhole. The trajectories of red blood cells (RBCs) and their interactions with surrounding flow field in the squeezed sample stream are evaluated to find optimal shape of the focusing chamber and fluid manipulation scheme for stable cell transporting, efficient detection, and sorting

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.218-226
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• 2017

Severe radial thrust under off-design operating conditions can be a harmful factor for centrifugal pumps. In the present work, effects of geometry of a double volute casing on the hydrodynamic performance of a centrifugal pump have been investigated focusing on off-design conditions. Three-dimensional steady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes analysis was carried out by using shear stress transport turbulence model. Numerical results for the hydrodynamic performance of the centrifugal pump were validated compared with experimental data. The hydraulic efficiency and radial thrust coefficient were used as performance parameters to evaluate the hydrodynamic characteristics of the centrifugal pump. The cross-sectional area ratio of the volute casing, the expansion coefficient of the rib structure, the distance between the rib starting point and volute entrance, and radius and width of the volute entrance, and length of the rib structure, were selected as geometric parameters. Results of the parametric study show that the performance parameters are significantly affected by the geometric variables and operating conditions. Optimal configurations of the double volute casing based on the design of experiments technique show outstanding performance in terms of the efficiency and radial thrust coefficient.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.58.2-58.2
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• 2005

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.148-163
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• 1998

Flow Induced Material Degradation (FIMD) is reviewed focusing on Flow Accelerated Corrosion (FAC) models. Several examples of FAC related incidents are described, which include nuclear and fossile power plants. Lastly, mitigation techniques such as inspection, material selection, water chemistry, temperature, and hydrodynamic factor are discussed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.1-11
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• 2003

The service reliability of power plants strongly depends on the excellent performance and integrity of hydrodynamic bearings. Consequently, the bearings must be properly designed so as to control vibration amplitudes of rotor due to mass unbalance in passing critical speeds and also suppress self-excited vibrations of rotor even over maximum rated speeds. Furthermore, the bearings must be designed so as to maintain required tribological performance even under severe operating conditions. However, various tribological troubles have been experienced in power plants in Japan. The actual troubles are analysed, focusing on not only direct mechanical causes but also specific bearing designs that surfaced the troubles. Furthermore human factors that decided such designs are also studied. The powerful database of troubles and analyses will contribute greatly to designing advanced power plants with enhanced service reliability in the future. To this end, trouble information should be disclosed, shared and transferred limitlessly. Cooperation of users of power plants is essential to making more advanced design specifications, because no one has easier access to operating and trouble information of power plants than users.